stvekay Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 My original Michelin tyres are now 10 years old, still not worn out at 55000 miles, Does any body have any thoughts/advice regarding Continetal as opposed to Michelin ? I am mainly interested in grip on wet grass snow etc, not longevity as they appear to need replacing before they are worn out. Thanks Steve Kelly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starvin marvin Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 stvekay - 2017-01-30 4:47 PM My original Michelin tyres are now 10 years old, still not worn out at 55000 miles, Does any body have any thoughts/advice regarding Continetal as opposed to Michelin ? I am mainly interested in grip on wet grass snow etc, not longevity as they appear to need replacing before they are worn out. Thanks Steve Kelly Either will do the job, just go on price and availability Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 Steve I’d expect your Rapido 9048df to have been orginally fitted with Michelin “Agilis Camping” ‘camping-car’ tyres. No ‘summer’ tyre aimed primarily at normal road use - and all ‘camping-car' tyres fall into that category - will be much cop for grip on wet grass (nor that great on snow either) but Michelin’s “Agilis Camping” is M+S-marked (Mud+Snow), whereas Continental’s “VancoCamper” is not. In principle then, if you want to stick with ‘camping-car’ tyres, you should choose the M+S-marked “Agilis Camping”. In practice, if you really wanted improved grip on snow, you would need to fit tyres marked with the Alpine symbol, though even then I don’t think you’d automatically get much better wet-grass grip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stvekay Posted January 30, 2017 Author Share Posted January 30, 2017 Thanks for replys , I think my Michelin tyres were pre Agilis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RubyExsis Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 I replaced my 10 year old (van registered - tyres 11 years old) Michelin Campers at 43k still with plenty of wear left last October - like yours they were not Agilis. I read many threads and useful information at that time on this site and considered winter tyres also as perhaps it wouldn't matter if they did not last so long thinking they may help on grass/mud. And then someone (probably Derek) pointed out that no tyres will work if they are filled with soft mud...... So based on my experience that my Michelins had lasted longer and performed better on wet grass over many trips together than brother- in -laws Continentals ( diffent vans could also factor here).... I stayed with Michelin and bought mine through Blackcircles (on line) and had them fitted by ATS Euromaster - I believe both owned by Michlin. There was a good deal at that time - I paid £113 per tyre fitted. The tyres give a much quieter and better ride and I have been very pleased with them - perhaps there will be a longevity price to pay for this improvement, but I think perhaps that would be beneficial as maybe 10 years is too long Fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 Steve I thought that a 2007-built Rapido that had been factory-fitted with Michelin camping-car tyres would have had “Agilis Camping”, but I can’t recall when these were first marketed. Pre-Agilis Camping would be “XC Camping” which had plenty of criticism regarding grip-levels (generally, not just on wet grass or snow) but not regarding longevity. My earlier comments should still apply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stvekay Posted January 31, 2017 Author Share Posted January 31, 2017 Michelin XC, they were on the back. I had them moved to front and Agilis put onback, think You have helped me make up my mind. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerrycan Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 Steve, In my experience both tyres are up to the task asked of them. The most important thing is preventative maintenance!! Do not leave them sat on the same spot over the winter and expect them not to deteriorate. If you can move the vehicle on a regular basis (every couple of weeks or so) it can prevent so many problems not just relating to tyres but brakes, steering, suspension etc. So many people leave their motorhome for six months and get annoyed/upset when it lets them down on their first outing of the new season. Better to prevent it than repair it!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 It seems that the change from “XC Camping” to ”Agilis Camping” occurred in early-2008. http://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Winter-tyres-again-/44756/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nimod Posted February 5, 2017 Share Posted February 5, 2017 Michelin have to go just over 28k spear not fitted others a good 6mm tread just over 8 years old ( MOT man said past the sell by date Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted February 5, 2017 Share Posted February 5, 2017 Those are Michelin “XC Camping” tyres with the distinctive zig-zag tread pattern similar to that of WW II Willys Jeep tyres. Like the original Michelin “X” radial tyres, “XC Camping” tyres seem to have a particularly low wear rate. This might explain their poor grip when independently tested in the past. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stvekay Posted February 5, 2017 Author Share Posted February 5, 2017 Gerrycan thanks for that we use van most of year although occasionally sits for 6 weeks? I do cover to stop hot sun on them. I have decided to replace with Agilis. The local Tyre firm that I use have a pair about 7 months old, is that reasonable or should I ask for something newer? If I have to replace in 10 years that is 7% of life span, or am I being picky? Thanks everyone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartO Posted February 6, 2017 Share Posted February 6, 2017 A motorhome imposes high working loads on its tyres (because MHs run at nearly max weight all the time) so you should not resort to fitting used tyres unless you are so broke you shouldn't be running a motorhome at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted February 6, 2017 Share Posted February 6, 2017 Steve Presumably you are referring to Michelin “Agilis Camping” tyres? “Agilis” is a Michelin ‘generic’ brand-name and they use it for a number of different tyre ranges - “Agilis+” for a range of ‘light commercial vehicle’ (LCV) tyres, “Agilis Alpin” for a range of LCV winter tyres, and “Agilis Camping” for a tyre-range aimed at motorhomes. I’m assuming that the 7-months-old tyres you refer to are unused (just manufactured by Michelin 7 months ago) rather than secondhand. If that’s so, then the age should be OK, but if you want tyres made more recently ask your tyre-fitting firm to get some younger ones (if they can!) Realistically, will you still own your present 2007-vintage motorhomeI in 2027? And will the tyres you will now be fitting last till then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stvekay Posted February 6, 2017 Author Share Posted February 6, 2017 Sorry I have not been clear, tyres are brand new, just the date of Manufacture is about 7 months ago. Comments appreciated (not about my clarity of post thanks!) Steve Kelly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stvekay Posted February 6, 2017 Author Share Posted February 6, 2017 Interesting the difference between the comments from Stuart and David, Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartO Posted February 6, 2017 Share Posted February 6, 2017 stvekay - 2017-02-06 1:21 PMInteresting the difference between the comments from Stuart and David, Thanks Presumably you mean a difference between Stuart and Derek? I don't think there is any incompatibility. I jumped to the conclusion (wrongly, as it turns out) that you were fitting used 7 month old tyres, which would imply they might have come off a crashed vehicle unless their history was better known. I wasn't having a go at the OP, just making the point that used tyres are the wrong sort of risk to take with a motorhome. Tyres are made using a vulcanising process which continues, slowly, after manufacture, so the rubber gradually hardens and this is a factor in the advice not to use very old tyres. I doubt that 7 months on the shelf in a tyre depot would make any significant difference to a set of new tyres. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted February 6, 2017 Share Posted February 6, 2017 Steve Michelin “Agilis Camping” tyres are ‘special purpose’ and relatively expensive, and UK tyre-fitting firms will generally not keep them in stock as demand for them will be pretty low. Consequently, if a customer insists on having them the tyres will usually need to be ordered from a tyre-distributor and, because of the low demand, the tyre-distributors are likely to keep only a small number in stock and these may languish for long periods of time in the distributors’ warehouses. Several months may elapse between a new ‘motorhome' chassis (complete with its wheels and tyres) leaving the Fiat/Ford/Mercedes factory and the completion of its conversion into a motorhome. That motorhome may then kick around on a dealer’s forecourt for months more before it is finally handed over to a buyer. So I believe you should not be unduly concerned about 7 months having passed since ‘your’ 2 tyres were made. Talk to your tyre-fitting firm - if they say they can guarantee to obtain the same tyres at the same price, but well under 7-months-old, you might as well have those rather than the 2 tyres they have in stock. But it needs to be said that the tyre-fitting trade is not particularly fussy about the date-of-manufacture of tyres they sell, so finding significantly younger Agilis Camping tyres might be pot-luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stvekay Posted February 6, 2017 Author Share Posted February 6, 2017 Thanks for advice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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